India can become a global leader in cocoa production provided farmers take up cocoa cultivation as an inter-crop in coconut and arecanut plantations, according to P Chowdappa, Director of the Kasaragod-based Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).

Launching the ‘Dark Tan’ chocolate of Campco (Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative) Ltd in Mangaluru on Wednesday, he said that the productivity and production of cocoa are coming down in some of the major cocoa-producing nations in Africa because of pest attack and diseases.

The country has around 21 lakh hectares of land under coconut cultivation and around 6 lakh hectares under arecanut cultivation.

Tapping the potential

The demand for cocoa-based products in the country is increasing by 10-15 per cent each year.

If the farmers take steps to tap these potentials, India can emerge as a global leader in cocoa production in the years to come, he said, adding that cocoa as an inter-crop will help augment the income sources of farmers also.

The data available on the website of the Kochi-based Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development says that India produced 16,050 tonnes of cocoa on an area of around 78,000 hectares during 2014-15.

Speaking on the occasion, SR Satishchandra, President of Campco, said that CPCRI and his organisations are planning to produce chocolate with coconut sugar as a main ingredient.

Coconut sugar Chowdappa said that there are around 60 coconut producers companies in the country.

The CPCRI had an interaction with the representatives of these producers companies on the need to promote coconut sugar.

Campco’s plans to produce chocolate based on coconut sugar will help these coconut grower producers’ companies.

He said that CPCRI has developed technology to extract coconut sugar, which is also known as ‘neera’ sugar.

‘Neera’ is a sweet sap tapped from coconut tree.

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